Few smartphones are as aggressively marketed as Samsung’s Galaxy S5. The S5 can no longer be considered brand-new — but it is Samsung’s flagship, at least for the next few months. With a gorgeous screen, a capable camera, a waterproof build, and a user-replaceable battery, the Galaxy S5 has a lot to offer… at least on paper. Let’s find out how good it really is.

What Makes This Review Different

There are about a million Galaxy S5 reviews out there. Why should you read this one? Two keys points make our review different:

We bought our own device. Unlike many tech blogs, we don’t use a review unit Samsung gave us. We went out to the store and bought one, just like you would. This means everything you read here is truly impartial – we owe Samsung nothing.

We used it for more than a month. Some sites rush to be the first to publish a review on a new device. That’s not how we do things. I used the Galaxy S5 as my main (and only) Android phone for nearly two months, taking notes throughout the entire time. This review is based on hundreds of hours of actual testing and use.

What You get: Flagship Specs

The Galaxy S5, which can be had for $587, ticks all of the boxes for a modern Android flagship phone. It’s based off a Snapdragon 801 chipset which uses 2GB of RAM, as well as an Adreno 330 GPU for snappy graphics in demanding games. It comes with a 2800 mAh battery — not very impressive by today’s standards, except that it’s user replaceable (quite a unique feature, unfortunately).

It has a 16-megapixel camera, and a 5.1-inch Super-AMOLED display that features 1080p resolution (again, not the highest amongst current flagship phones). It weighs 145 grams, or 5.11oz.

Finally, in the “notable extra features” department, I should note that it has a USB 3.0 connection, as well as a built-in fingerprint scanner and a pulse sensor — two features we’ll speak more of, later.

The Competition

Obviously, the Galaxy S5 doesn’t live in a vacuum (despite what Samsung may wish). There are at least three other flagship phones out there with specs that match, and sometimes surpass, the Galaxy S5. Let’s take a quick look at each.

LG G3

LG’s $650 G3 is based on the same chipset and GPU as the Galaxy S5 (Snapdragon 801, Adreno 330) — yet outdoes it in several other respects. For one thing, the display: Its 5.5-inch HD-IPS panel boasts a resolution of 1440×2560, which is just crazy for a smartphone. Whether or not you’ll actually perceive the difference in resolution at these obscene ranges is another matter.

The G3 has a 3000mAh which, just like the S5’s, is removable. It’s not waterproof, though — or at least not officially (dunk it at your own risk). Its camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel sensor (to the S5’s 16), but again, whether or not you’ll perceive the difference is another matter.

HTC One M8

Then we’ve got the gorgeous HTC One M8, retailing for $637. Same chipset, same GPU, same amount of RAM. The battery on this one is even smaller than on the S5, at 2600 mAh, and it isn’t user-replaceable. The display is 5 inches, 1080×1920.

The biggest things that sets the HTC One M8 apart from the Galaxy S5 is, of course, industrial design. The M8’s gorgeous metal body feels premium in ways the Galaxy S5 simply doesn’t. Another key difference is the camera — HTC famously opted for a lower megapixel count. So the rear camera is just 4MP — but these are “UltraPixels,” as HTC calls them, promising better images through larger individual pixel size.

Sony Xperia Z2

Last but certainly not least comes Sony’s Xperia Z2, retailing for $616. Same chipset and GPU, only the Z2 comes with 3GB of RAM. It has a non user-replaceable 3200 mAh battery, and just like the Galaxy S5, it’s waterproof. It comes with a 20.7MP camera, and a 5.2-inch 1080p panel.

In terms of look and feel, once again, the Z2 feels decidedly premium. This is subjective, but I would say it’s a classier-looking device than the Galaxy S5, if not as practical (not being able to replace the battery is a major drawback).

Look and Feel: Hardware Design

The Galaxy S5’s hardware design isn’t radically different or fancy, but it works. You’ve no doubt seen the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy S4Samsung Galaxy S4 Review and GiveawaySamsung Galaxy S4 Review and GiveawaySamsung's current flagship device, the Galaxy S4 marries no-compromises hardware with Google's mobile operating system, slathered with a thick layer of Samsung's own software overlays and customizations. That doesn't mean the outcome is perfect. How...Read More – so you will instantly recognize the S5. To me, that’s not a bad thing. The front of the phone is dominated by the beautiful, bright, 5.1-inch Super-AMOLED screen. As it’s done before, Samsung eschews on-screen buttons for a trio of dedicated hardware buttons. You’ve got your tactile home button at the bottom-center of the device (with a built-in fingerprint reader, which we’ll get to in a moment). To its right is the Back button, while on the left you’ll find the Recents button. This is a change for Samsung: Previous devices had the Menu button in that spot. A long-press of the Recents button still works as a Menu button.

Samsung seems confident in its design: The capacitive buttons have LEDs, but these are off by default, even when you’re using the phone. Tapping one of the capacitive buttons switches on the LEDs for a brief moment, then flicks them back off. Samsung knows you know they’re there.

Now let’s discuss the back of the device: It’s made of thin plastic. Samsung touts the “dimpled” look (i.e. it has lots of little dimples) — but honestly, it looks and feels a bit like a piece of Styrofoam, at least on the white model. But there are major benefits to this design: Not only is the battery removable, but there’s an SD card slot, and the phone is still waterproof — the best of all worlds, so to speak. The only concession Samsung’s had to make when waterproofing the device is that the USB 3.0 jack at the bottom of the phone is now covered with a plastic flap, just like the one on the Sony Xperia Z1.

The home button features an integrated fingerprint sensor, just like another device whose name I can’t remember at the moment, iSomething. Swipe your finger down the fingerprint sensor, and the Galaxy S5 will instantly unlo… Wait, no, was your finger wet? Wipe the sensor and the finger and try again. Nope, swipe the whole finger, not just the tip. Oh, you did? Well, make sure you swipe right down the center of the sensor. And there, the Galaxy S5 will instantly unlock, just like magic.

This may sound comical, but that’s really what it feels like. And in daily use, it really isn’t all that amusing.

Living With The S5: Interface and User Experience

Right out of the box, the Galaxy S5 is a fairly annoying phone to use. The screen goes “bloop” every time you touch something, making this expensive, supposedly premium device feel like a toy. The bundled keyboard has aggressive autocorrection which interfered with my typing more than it helped, and the punctuation marks were not terribly easy to use, either. It’s a good thing Android lets you swap out the keyboard for something better.

Samsung’s launcher is, well, pure Samsung. There’s an All Apps button on the bottom-right corner (not in the middle per the Android convention), and no, you can’t move it. There’s no way to quickly search the apps in your drawer, and you can’t uninstall apps directly from the homescreen. You need to open the app drawer, scroll all the way to the app of your choice, and remove it like that.

There is, however, a cool way to place widgets — with a nice zoomed out overview of your screens. Notification badges are also included, showing unread message counts even for third-party apps like WhatsApp. These work even if you put those app icons within folders — one of the launcher’s bright usability points.

Pull down Android’s top bar, and you’ll find the notification shade. And wow, Samsung pulled no punches here. It’s overwhelmingly cluttered, with two large buttons some ROM versions simply will not let you remove. Both buttons are utterly useless, one leading to S Find (Samsung’s slow search interface) and the other to Quick Connect, another feature I haven’t used even once. These two massive and utterly useless buttons take up a respectable chunk of space on the panel.

Moving on, let’s discuss the settings. There are so many of these, Samsung decided to go ahead and implement three different layouts for the settings screen so you can find the one which is the least confusing for you. Fortunately, there is a rather good quick-search feature which allows you to start typing the name of the setting you’re after.

Even so, finding stuff isn’t always easy. For example, how do you change the temperature units shown on the lockscreen from Fahrenheit to Celsius? You’d never guess. You need to add the Weather widget to one of your homescreens, configure it, then remove it. Yup. In general, I found myself Googling for answers quite a bit as I was trying to customize the Galaxy S5, despite the enormous number of settings it offers.

On the plus side, many features that often require third-party apps are there natively: You get something that’s a bit like Gravity Screen (wave your hand over the screen to wake the phone). There’s a built-in call blocker, too. But there’s an inescapable feeling that Samsung just had to cram the phone full of features, even if they don’t all work that well. Smart Scrolling, a nifty feature that scrolls as you tilt the phone, only works on some apps — and there’s no clear explanation as to which apps these are.

Unique And Interesting Features

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The Galaxy S5 tries to be very connected to your body. Let us count the ways: A fingerprint sensor, a pulse reader, and a built-in pedometer with the S Health app. Out of these three, the pedometer is actually the best — it’s both accurate and helpful, and if you’re interested in monitoring your daily step count, it’s pretty great. There’s a nice pedometer widget for your homescreen, and you can glance at your step counter even from the lockscreen.

The pulse sensor and the fingerprint reader are both overly ambitious. We’ve covered the fingerprint reader already, and the pulse sensor only works when you’re completely still. Yup, you can’t use it to monitor any sort of activity — you have to press your finger against the sensor and hold it there for a good while, and then you get a reading.

The Galaxy S5 also comes with a number of interesting emergency features. It has a low-power Emergency Mode which shuts down many of the phone’s functions and switches to a simple, basic interface with a flashlight, an alarm, and several other essentials. It also lets you set up a list of emergency contacts which you can then dial even if the phone is locked.

Performance

The Galaxy S5 scores around 32,000 in Antutu — a respectable score, though not one you should take overly seriously. Some companies have been known to cheat at benchmarks by detecting the benchmarking app and tweaking the phone’s performance just for the duration of the benchmark.

What truly counts is how the phone feels — and this is one snappy device. In around two months of heavy use, I’ve seen very little lag. The only lag noticeable was in opening the camera app: Sometimes as you launch the camera, the screen blacks out for a few seconds, and only then shows the picture. This only happens occasionally and isn’t a major issues. When it comes to games, the phone performs as you’d expect it to — in other words, blazing fast.

Another annoying performance issue I’ve come across happens at the other end of the spectrum — while the phone is doing nothing but charging. Several times I’ve plugged the phone in to charge overnight, waking up to realize my alarm clock hadn’t gone off, and the phone somehow overheated during the night and shut itself down. This happened when using Samsung’s original battery, cable, and charger — but obviously, did not happen every night.

Camera

The last feature I’d like to discuss is the camera. There’s no dedicated camera button, but you can very quickly launch the camera from the lockscreen. It switches on with very little lag. It’s clever, too: If you launch the camera from the lockscreen and snap several photos, you can then browse through those photos — but not through any other photos in the device’s gallery (until you unlock it, that is).

The camera shoots excellent panoramas, and is exceedingly fast doing so, too. There are relatively few seams, and it’s fun to use. Dim the lights, however, and it’s a different story: Photos taken in low light are incredibly noisy.

All in all, in daylight, the Galaxy S5’s camera is reasonably good. It focuses quite well, and is very snappy and responsive.

Bottom Line

If I had to describe the Galaxy S5 in a word, I’d pick “busy.” It tries to do absolutely everything, and excels at few tasks. It is fast, responsive, and waterproof — but so are its competitors. Given that competition, I would be hard-pressed to recommend the Galaxy S5. For the same amount of money or slightly less, you can get a phone which is just as fast and responsive, and doesn’t burden you with clunky software and half-baked sensors.

Our verdict of the Samsung Galaxy S5:MakeUseOf recommends: Do not buy.410

The Winner

Congratulations, Art Woo! You would have received an email from jackson@makeuseof.com. Please respond before September 7 to claim your prize. Enquires beyond this date will not be entertained.

Send your products to be reviewed. Contact Jackson Chung for further details.

Do you know that by using the Android device manager you can find your phone’s location if it’s stolen or lost. You can even make a call to your device even if the SIM card is replaced by a new one. You can lock your device remotely and erase all the confidential data. I found this info in here, http://www.spinfold.com/less-known-android-features/

I haven't bought one. I usually snarl when my husband says it's time to upgrade, knowing that my current phone works just fine, thankyouverymuch. I'm sure I'd love the extra features, though, since I washed my fitbit and it doesn't work anymore. Of course, that means I'll have to take my phone EVERYWHERE...and sometimes, you just want to be alone.

I don't have the phone myself, but I know several people who do. I always found it extremely complicated to use, and I couldn't find simple features. I'm pretty sure better phones can be found out there in the ocean of new smartphones.

Is there anything this phone cant do?? :)
No, I haven't been lucky enough to own one of these
ripper phones....yet!! :)
Im really hoping to win this one.....:D
As Im on disability i will never be able to afford a
phone of this quality..:(
so, i've got everything and everyone crossed.....
whether they like it or not...haha

I have a Galaxy 3 and I would only buy an other Samsung phone or maybe iPhone (sorry, please don't disqualify me, smile). I hope it's okay that I entered (I'm Canadian) but I can provide a USA mailing address if required.

No I havent bought one. But I surely know of the Phone and have used it. Its just the ultimate phone. Everything inside it is from the elite class of Smartphone Components. But as usual the look is always similar in every Samsung phone which fails to distinguish itself from lower division phone in design perspectives but that doesnt take away the merits and innovative features put in it by Samsung. Surely the phone of elites

Yes, we bought an S5 for my spouse and he's SO in love with it. The battery life, the features that it came with (just in time for his new workout regimen) and all of the options to maximize its use with accessories and such have been fantastic! He hasn't made any complaints but I have one myself from trying it out: the thumbprint recognition is ABYSMAL. I would love to see some improvements to that. I'd also like some Android versions of unique iPhone accessories! Get on it guys. Hahaha

I didn't buy one since I'm using a S4. But depending on what phones are out by the time I need an upgrade, I may or may not consider a Samsung phone - having to deal with Knox if I want to root the phone is quite a bummer.

I have never bought a thing from Samsung. mainly because I see my friends with a Samsung product and they always have broken them or they have grown old with them, I don't see myself like that with my gadgets, mine work.

No I have not bought one of these. Indeed, Not a smart phone at all. I am still using a very old flip phone. I like it, still- the way it closes, protects the thing. It bounced around in my purse or pockets..

i didn't purchased, probably i don't have enough money :(
but this is awesome giveaway.
i remember i used to follow this site 2 years back , when i use it for softwares and funny memes :)
this website is even more helpful now. and i m happy that i am a fan of makeuseof.com

I have been considering the S5 as I've had an S3 for 2 years now on the heels of TWO iphones over the course of 3 years - both of which had several problems.
In contrast, my Galaxy S3 has had a total of ZERO problems in 2 years. Consequently I'm happy with the manufacturer. The thing is, my S3 runs so well, is in great shape and does everything I need, so I have an internal debate as to whether to even bother.
Then I find out that the new phone uses the USB3 power connection. This actually is a bit of a game changer as my wife has an HTC one M8 with nearly 2 years left on the contract and a USB2 connection. We have several chargers around the house that we share, and besides, who wants to go to the expense of replacing all the chargers? I'm sure everyone will change to the USB3 eventually, but for now....

I think I'll get the LG G3,but would really, really like to see a MakeUseOf review of that phone as well. It looks pretty amazing, has a USB2 connection, removable battery, SD card capability, but does not have the bloatware of the Samsung phone.

I have not bought the Samsung Galxy S5; however, I would LOVE to win this one I did not have the opportunity to get any of the Samsung Galaxy phones as it was to expensive to do so. I am in dire need of a new phone and would love to win this. Good Luck to everyone. Even if I don't win, I congratulate the winner in advance.

I bought the S5 after owning the galaxy nexus....hands down the S5 has been an amazing pick. Sure it tries to do a lot and give you many options or do dads which maybe too much...but once you get the apps and settings the way you want. ...it takes a little fiddling. ....it's fast, camera is great and have absolutely no complaints. ...even those who think the speaker is lame, it delivers for the common everday man.

I haven't bought the S5. I bought an HTC once, and after they discontinued support for it less than a year later I was a little miffed with them. I find myself gearing myself towards something that might be supported longer without having to root the device initially.

My very 1st android phone was an S3 mini (it was a gift) and it was given to me just a month after it's official release date, I replaced it however with a Nexus phone (Nexus 4) and i've never looked back...so, no I haven't bought the S5.
I think i'll stick with the Nexus line until it's discontinued.

I currently have the S3 and love it. My neighbor has the S5 and I'm really wanting that one. I recently had an Apple and will never go back to them again. I've had my fair share of different brands and platforms and Samsung is by far my absolute favorite!!!

I probably wouldn't buy one, but my husband would. I have the S3 and I'm ready for a change. Just too much bloatware on the Samsung for me. I would like an android phone that doesn't have all that, but has similar specs as the S5. Are there any suggestions?

I haven't bought an S5, however I've had a Samsung Galaxy SII for a few months, (given to me by family) and I had the S3 Mini before that. Surprisingly, the S3 Mini has exactly the same specs as the SII, just a smaller screen!

I have the S5 and got it after using the Apple iPhone 4 for a couple of years. Now that is a phone that is loaded with useless apps and chunky and difficult to manuever. I LOVE my Samsung S5 and wish I had gotten one from the start. While the price is a bit daunting (im paying for it over a couple of years) I do appreciate the ease of every thing that is on there. If you find an app is not of use to you - one can just get rid of it and put on your own. I have made my phone my own and I love everything about it!! If I do win another one, that one would go to my son, who is very happy with his S3 but would like to upgrade!

I've only seen it up-close but never actually inspected it or had more time to see what it's capable of. I don't really see any big differences from S4 apart from more raw power. Don't think i'll ever but it but if i win it then why not use it. It's still a great phone.

No, I haven't purchased one, but if it's as good as my S4, then I would certainly consider it. After having iPhones for the last few years, Android makes a nice change and I like the larger size phones and bright, vivid screens.

I have the S3, hubby has the S5 only cuz someone stole his S4 and he seems very happy with it. I have no complaints about my year old S3 -- used to be an IPhone fanatic but when lost it and shopping for new phone decided on the Galaxy - and very happy with it.

I have not purchased one of these yet, but I sure would enjoy having one if I could afford it. I like the features it offers and being waterproof is really fabulous in my opinion, but I am way too frugal to spend that kind of money for just to have a brand new one. Especially when I can wait 6-8 months to get a used one for less than 1/3 the price of buying brand new or to get similar featured one that I could not noticeably tell any difference in the internal specs.

Frankly saying, I just bought S5 month ago, but i am disappointed with S5. I used S4 before S5 and compare to S4, a bit difficult to use cause S5 chages OPTION key and HOME key use for Google Search, I feel annoying while using this two features. Rest things are quite good but I am expecting 3GB ram for S5,
If you are S4 owner, I strongly advise to do not update with S5. Wait for next release with 3GB or more ram.

I received one, and I gotta say, I love it. It definitely does try to do everything, but it does most of them quite well. It may not have been my first pick, especially if not already accustomed to borrowing my partner's S3, but if you have drop the cash without worry, no complaints here.

No I didnt. I have the Galaxy Note 2, and is still Amazing! I love it. Is that great that I didnt get the Note #, becuase mine was still awesome. I will see if I get the 4th, or better wait for 5. (At 5 Im sure ill replace mine).

I haven't purchased the Samsung Galaxy S5 but am interested in trying a newer Android device. My current device is an older Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0 7" and it's laggy as all heck. Of course that's because it's been upgraded over and over again with new versions of Android, each time sapping the available CPU and GPU power of this aging device. If I win the S5, I hope the snappiness described in the article translates well to real world use.

I haven't bought a "flagship" phone like the S5 because of the outrageous price (even subsidized, the high price of a monthly contract is outside my budget), but this would be the perfect phone to replace my Huawei Glory...the gorgeous screen and camera flash alone make it a terrific replacement.

I purchased it and I'm happy with it. Only thing to complain is the materials used in the case. Other than that the screen is the best one I've ever seen in a mobile. Camera is fast and accurate, and the battery life is outstanding.

I've owned on for about 2 weeks. I agree that it is rather busy. I upgraded from the Galaxy S3 to the S5. Battery life is at least twice as long as the S3. The other phones listed for comparison here are missing things that I need in a phone. An external memory SD card, S5 handles up to 128Gig. I have a lot of photos and music on my phone, so I need more than the phone memory to handle it. And the camera is a big improvement over the S3, both in good light and bad. So from my experience I don't regret the purchase.

I do have an S5 and considering I went from and S3 to it, I am very happy. I am not a phone snob, so the latest and greatest is not that big of a deal. I just need something that works when I need it to work.

I'm still using my older Galaxy S-3 and my S.O. has an S-4. We've been pleased with them although there are some weak areas. I had hoped that Samsung would have ironed out most of those 'problems' in the S-5. Bummer. However, we have been very pleased with our Samsung phones, and I would certainly give the S-5 a run for its money.
Thanks!

I've used all the Galaxy S phones except the S. Funnily enough (to some !!!) I've enjoyed each model more than its predecessor. My points are the ffg:
1. The S5's price is LOWER(!!!) Than those of its competitors. 2. I've had my S5 for 11 weeks and started using the finger scanner a week ago. I've registered 3 digits but use one most often . No problems. 3. I ,like 75% of people(according to studies), use a phone case and so have NEVER been influenced by comments of the phones looking or feeling cheap. 4.i ALWAYS listen to music via the ear piece and consider the player's production the BEST of Galaxy's S2-5. 5. Ultra power saving mode works beautifully for me . 6.